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Raising a vegan toddler/baby.

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Talk to your pediatrician, provided that he/she is behind you as far as the veganism. I occasionally give my daughter a chewable, vegan calcium. When she was younger, her doc recommended a vegan DHA, but I didn't give it to her, because we are poor and I am a bad mom. Otherwise, no one's ever been worried about her nutrients, and she's never exhibited any signs of deficiency. And as far as B12, I've only known one person who actually was deficient in it, an omni, and it caused major health problems. She had to be in wheelchair, and it took forever to figure out what the problem was.  My daughter loves nutritional yeast, so I don't worry much. They also add B12 to soymilk, cereals, etc.

Nutritional yeast is a flaky, yellow stuff. I get mine in bulk at the HFS. It adds a cheesy, nutty flavor. I like it in pasta, sauces, on a tortilla or bagel. I think it is an acquired taste. My husband doesn't really like it.

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Talk to your pediatrician, provided that he/she is behind you as far as the veganism. I occasionally give my daughter a chewable, vegan calcium. When she was younger, her doc recommended a vegan DHA, but I didn't give it to her, because we are poor and I am a bad mom. Otherwise, no one's ever been worried about her nutrients, and she's never exhibited any signs of deficiency. And as far as B12, I've only known one person who actually was deficient in it, an omni, and it caused major health problems. She had to be in wheelchair, and it took forever to figure out what the problem was.  My daughter loves nutritional yeast, so I don't worry much. They also add B12 to soymilk, cereals, etc.

Nutritional yeast is a flaky, yellow stuff. I get mine in bulk at the HFS. It adds a cheesy, nutty flavor. I like it in pasta, sauces, on a tortilla or bagel. I think it is an acquired taste. My husband doesn't really like it.

Hmm, well thank you! lol. We actually just moved to a new state and have yet to pick a pedi again. I'm hoping to find one that is veg supportive, but I'm not sure how well I will do with that in my new area lol. I suppose I'll have to go pick up some nutritional yeast then, and a vegan dha. Btw, I'm pretty sure it was sarcasm but you don't seem like a bad mom to me (I've been lurking :o lol)  :>

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I had my 2 year-olds B12 level checked and her insurance covered it, but we weren't sure they would so I found out the price before hand in case I had to pay by cash, and it was only like $40, so it wouldn't have been too much to pay out of pocket.  Her levels were fine, and she doesn't take any supplements.  But, still better to check beause B12 deficinces can be dangerous.

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My daughter is 2 and I've only just taken her off dairy (she started getting a rash - already didn't eat meat and never had formula etc as was breastfeed until 18months) I'm actually going to make an appointment with the doctors, I'm not too worried but as she's hit 2 she's become a little more fussy with food, I know this is typical for children of her age as it's there way of taking some control but I don't want her to miss out.  The only reason I'm taking her to the dr's is as I live in the UK, if they think she needs any suppliments we'll get them for free, I could buy them but we just don't have much spare money.
I read some studies on things and they were mainly outdated facts, I think with fortified breakfast cereals and breads etc there's not much to worry about.

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My 18 month old is the worst eater ever.....you may have seen me talk about this on other threads. He does love oatmeal and hot cereals, so i do add some supplements to that (and any other soft foods that I can). Here' what I add:

nutritional yeast-b12
brewers yeast-b12
wheat germ
flax seeds-ground or flax oil

i have the first three already mixed in a jar so its easy to just scoop out and mix in. the flax seeds are ground fresh every day and mixed in. if im too lazy, i just use flax oil.
i even add flax oil to his non dairy milk. he is still breast feeding 2-3 times per day too.

I give him a fresh, live blue green algae called E3live mixed in his juice. It has every vitamin and mineral known to man in it, plus b12, protein, amino acids, etc...my whole family takes it. i can give you more info if you like, I think im going to post about it on lovin the loot soon.

i do have  vegan liquid dha that I sometimes give him (somehow i got it for free-dont know how much it costs)

because my little guy is small (like the rest of us) my doc had run every test possible to make sure he was not ill or had any deficiencies and she found nothing. we went through this with our first son too. their iron levels were always good, b12 too. i think we are the size people should be, and everyone else is too big! :)

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I get annoyed at doctor's who don't look at the family and note that people are just different sizes sometimes.  Everyone in my family is really leggy and tall, my other half is tall but mainly long body.  They don't measure babies over here anymore but when Winnie was born the midwife looked alarmed then measured her and informed us that Winnie was 5cm longer than average, lol.  I guess that explains why i had such sore ribs towards the end!
I won't actually let the health visitors weigh Winnie anymore as it was all so stupid, the charts were made for formula fed babies and every child grows at a different rate  - you can tell looking at a child if they're underweight or just how they're supposed to be.

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I get annoyed at doctor's who don't look at the family and note that people are just different sizes sometimes.  Everyone in my family is really leggy and tall, my other half is tall but mainly long body.  They don't measure babies over here anymore but when Winnie was born the midwife looked alarmed then measured her and informed us that Winnie was 5cm longer than average, lol.  I guess that explains why i had such sore ribs towards the end!
I won't actually let the health visitors weigh Winnie anymore as it was all so stupid, the charts were made for formula fed babies and every child grows at a different rate  - you can tell looking at a child if they're underweight or just how they're supposed to be.

I agree! There is also another chart, put out by the WHO that is based on babies who are breast fed and not just formula fed babies from Ohio in the 70's (like the one docs use). I might bring in a copy for my doc, although Lyle is still under 3% even on that chart. I think I only weighed 20 pounds at age 2, and he is 19 at age 18 months, so at least he is bigger than I was! He does not appear underweight at all. I wonder if they would let me refuse to have him weighed?!

http://www.who.int/childgrowth/standards/en/

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My next one is due in June and I will make sure that the birth weight is gained back but then won't worry about it.  Over here (UK) they don't tell you that you have a choice, but when asked directly they'll note it's a choice.  The health visitors here don't seem to mind at all, and actually said they do it more for anxious first time mums or premature babies.

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My 18 month old is the worst eater ever.....you may have seen me talk about this on other threads. He does love oatmeal and hot cereals, so i do add some supplements to that (and any other soft foods that I can). Here' what I add:

nutritional yeast-b12
brewers yeast-b12
wheat germ
flax seeds-ground or flax oil

i have the first three already mixed in a jar so its easy to just scoop out and mix in. the flax seeds are ground fresh every day and mixed in. if im too lazy, i just use flax oil.
i even add flax oil to his non dairy milk. he is still breast feeding 2-3 times per day too.

I give him a fresh, live blue green algae called E3live mixed in his juice. It has every vitamin and mineral known to man in it, plus b12, protein, amino acids, etc...my whole family takes it. i can give you more info if you like, I think im going to post about it on lovin the loot soon.

i do have  vegan liquid dha that I sometimes give him (somehow i got it for free-dont know how much it costs)

because my little guy is small (like the rest of us) my doc had run every test possible to make sure he was not ill or had any deficiencies and she found nothing. we went through this with our first son too. their iron levels were always good, b12 too. i think we are the size people should be, and everyone else is too big! :)

I would LOVE more info on that. (Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you lol). I was researching a few things online and came across a few articles that scared the crap out of me haha. I want to raise my daughter vegan but obviously in a smart and healthy way. I don't want her growing up and having calcium issues or any deficiencies of any kind if I can help it. I'm probably being overly obsessive but it scares me lol. I just want her to have the best of everything, and the best start possible.

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Hi Cartman,
I just posted about the algae in Lovin' the Loot so you can read more about it!
:)

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I get annoyed at doctor's who don't look at the family and note that people are just different sizes sometimes.  Everyone in my family is really leggy and tall, my other half is tall but mainly long body.  They don't measure babies over here anymore but when Winnie was born the midwife looked alarmed then measured her and informed us that Winnie was 5cm longer than average, lol.  I guess that explains why i had such sore ribs towards the end!
I won't actually let the health visitors weigh Winnie anymore as it was all so stupid, the charts were made for formula fed babies and every child grows at a different rate  - you can tell looking at a child if they're underweight or just how they're supposed to be.

I agree. My 2 year old is tiny but healthy. SHe has been right below the 3rd percentil on the WHO charts since she was 4 months old. SHe started off in the 10%.  It amazes me that the doctors are shocked that she is small considering that I am 5'1 and 115 lbs. What the heck were they expecting?!

I dont worry about B12 as she gets it from soymilk, nutritional yeast and the occasional meat analog. Also if anyone is concerned about B12 and DHA and they are still breastfeeding, breastmilk is a great source so long as you are taking a vitamin and a omega 3 supplement or eating foods rich in those nutrients. I still nurse my toddler twice a day for that reason. I plan on gradually weaning her by the time she is 2 and a half. She is so healthy and rarely gets sick even though I run a dayhome and take her to playgroup. She will be 2 at the beginning of march and I have no idea where the time went.

The way I see it, if they are bright eyed, energetic, and meeting milestones then you have nothing to worry about. My DD is a good eater so I know its not that she is not getting enough food, she is just naturally small like me.

Oh and I forgot to add that I give her a chewable whole foods vitamin on the days she picks at her food.

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